College Update 10/1/26

Happy Fall, y'all! I want to take this opportunity to talk about upcoming major events in the college. I'm so grateful for the strong showing the FACS community has had at our recent events and just want to call your attention to block out your calendars for some upcoming events.

First, the Fall College Assembly (notice inside this newsletter) returns to Dawson Hall with the Provost in attendance. We will have charcuterie boards for food. Dr. Bernard Green will be speaking about student well-being and I'll give a short update about our college's strategic planning. 

Our Fall Convocation will be at the Classic Center, as it has been for the last few years. For Spring 2027, we are moving convocation back to campus. This decision has been discussed with Administrative Cabinet previously. We will have multiple ceremonies, all held at Hodgson Performing Arts Center. We are excited to bring convocation back to campus. Parking and access will be much easier on campus.  We have grown so much and do not want to restrict the number of tickets each graduate can receive (after all, we are the only college with family in its name). We value the community that will be on full display with separate ceremonies for each department.

While the college is still coordinating and paying for the ceremonies, the new format does require that faculty will be required to attend, in order to populate the platform party. We know convocation will feel different and I'm very grateful to convocation co-chairs Katy Wood (SSAC) and Catie Floyd (FACS) for all of the work they've done to locate a beautiful and welcoming space for us.

I’m pleased to announce Dr. Kristy Archuleta as the interim director of our Financial Resilience and Education (FRE) Center. Dr. Archuleta, who holds the Betsy Barnard Sages Professorship in Financial Therapy and Financial Planning, is an internationally-known scholar in the area of financial therapy. Launched last November, the FRE Center trains students through service-learning in financial literacy education and volunteer tax preparation and provides tax dispute assistance through the UGA Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic, helping Georgians build financial resilience.

Envisioned by faculty in the Financial Planning, Housing and Consumer Economics Department, the FRE Center has grown and is now operating as a college-level center. Operating at the college level allows for smooth collaboration across colleges and schools and ensures the flow of information about center activities to the dean’s office to connect with resources. I also want to acknowledge and thank all of those involved in the center, including Swarn Chatterjee, Ken Chrzanowski, Wil Golden, Travis Mountain, Effie Antonoudi, Deborah Lacey, and Kaushal Mahaseth. We are also incredibly appreciative of the support the FRE Center has received from the Charles Schwab Foundation, HB Wealth, Schorn Wealth and SignatureFD. 

During Dr. Archuleta’s interim term, we will begin a search for a full-time director. I’m grateful to her for taking on this new responsibility and am excited about the potential of the center to further our mission of building stronger families and communities.

Clarke Central High School in Athens is having a clothing drive for students who will be doing interviews for jobs, college, and career prep. Please consider donating gently used (or new) work wear by October 13. There is a large bin outside of Dr. Monica Sklar's office, 200c Barrow Hall, for your donations.

Starting September 15, couple and family therapy at the Love and Money Center (including Prepare/Enrich) is free through the end of 2026 — and we want to make sure every couple and family who could benefit know about it. Below is a message you're welcome to forward directly to anyone who might be interested. 

�� Starting September 15, couple and family therapy appointments at the Love and Money Center (including Prepare/Enrich) are FREE through the end of 2026.

�� In-person in Athens or by telehealth anywhere in Georgia

�� Appointments available Mondays – Thursdays 9 a.m. - 8 p.m., Fridays 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

�� Request your first appointment today: https://www.fcs.uga.edu/loveandmoneycenter/therapy-services

�� Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/19E4KvEUPJ/ 
�� Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/DdHwyQijYY8/ 
�� LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ugaloveandmoneycenter_please-help-us-spread-the-word-by-sharing-activity-7503997127648342016-YAcn/

The Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Public and International Affairs, with support from the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, the Grady College of Journalism & Mass Communication, the Mary Frances Early College of Education, the Morehead Honors College, and the UGA School of Law, are sponsoring a lecture by McKay Coppins, staff writer at The Atlantic and New York Times bestselling author, entitled The Casinofication of America: How Online Gambling Hooked a Generation—and What It’s Doing to Sports, Politics, and Culture. This lecture will take place at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, October 7, in Room 271 of the Richard B. Russell Special Collections Libraries and will be followed by a reception. Register here.

We Make it Happen: Mutual Aid as a Call to Action

The University of Georgia Foundation is releasing the new Meal, Entertainment, and Alcohol Policy, for fiscal year 2027. This change provides CLARITY. This new policy supersedes and consolidates the Foundation's separate policies for employee business meals, entertainment, and alcohol expenditures. The policy applies to Foundation-funded vendor payments and reimbursements through UGAF@Work for meals and entertainment conducted for University Business. Coinciding with the polics release, the Foundation is introducing the new Meetings, Entertainment, & Events Form to support compliant Foundation-funded payments and reimbursements. NEW REQUIRED FORM: Submit the Meetings, Entertainment, & Events Form in UGAF@Work with each vendor payment or employee reimbursement, together with required documentation. The form helps calculate applicable per-person and alcohol limits and identify the documentation, attestations, and approvals needed for compliance. The form is required as supporting documentation for requests submitted on or after October 1, 2026. If you have questions, please reach out to askfsap@uga.edu.

In the newly refreshed rooms (Dawson 101, 208, 306 and 312), if the display (projector) is OFF, but the light on the control box is already glowing DISPLAY ON, you can press the button again, and the display should come on. Please always turn off the projector when you leave any room, unless you are certain the next teacher will need it.

Please review the message sent on October 1. The survey opens on October 5. Recipients are not expected to know how Workday will affect their daily work yet and the assessment is not a test of individual knowledge or preparedness. Results are confidential and part of UGA’s progress and awareness tracking. Names and emails addresses will not be collected, and results will be reported only in aggregate. Survey estimated to take 8 to 10 minutes, although many respondents may finish sooner. Please participate!

October 7 – McKay Coppins Lecture

October 8 – 2026 Disability History Symposium

October 13 – Teaching Faculty Learning Community: Teaching and Communicating Science

October 29 – Fall College Assembly, Dawson 116

November 2-7 – Beat Week

November 7 – GCDS Friends and Family Fall Festival

November 12 – Teaching Faculty Learning Community: AI & Identifying Academic Integrity

November 5-8 – UGA Family Weekend

December 10 – FACS Convocation

December 11 – UGA Graduation

Sincerely, 

 

Anisa M. Zvonkovic

Dean and Georgia Athletic Association Professor in Family and Consumer Sciences